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JERUSALEM – Palestinians buoyed by President Bush backing their statehood push yesterday called for deeper U.S. involvement in the Mideast conflict – while Israeli officials tried to downplay America’s stance.

Saeb Erekat, top negotiator for Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat, asked the U.S. to send a special emissary to the region.

“It’s always right for the United States to declare its support for the establishment of a Palestinian state next to the state of Israel,” Erekat said.

“I believe by doing so, this will be the shortest way to stability, security and peace for everybody.”

Nabil Abu Rdainah, a top Arafat adviser, added: “Definitely this is a positive development in the American position, that will reflect positively on developments in the region.”

But Daniel Ayalon, a top adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, insisted Bush’s comments didn’t signal a major change in U.S. policy.

“We do not preclude the creation of a Palestinian state,” he said. “But this is too premature now. I think the president said that. Right now we should concentrate on ending the violence.”

Another top Israeli official told The Post that the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Daniel Kurtzer, immediately tried to control the damage with the Israeli government after Bush’s statements.

Kurtzer told Israeli officials that the U.S. will not take any move in the Mideast peace process without consulting Israel first – and that it had no new American initiative planned, the source said.

Kurtzer said Bush’s statements merely reflected the ideas of different officials in the State Department, adding that there was no meeting set between Arafat and Bush, the official said.

As for Sharon, he publicly sidestepped addressing Bush’s comments directly, instead telling a crowd of 3,000 pilgrims to Israel yesterday:

“Israel will give any needed help to the coalition which fights international Muslim fanatic terrorism. But Israel demands that the Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah be declared terrorist organizations.

“Yasser Arafat is the head of a coalition of terror, and if he does not stop its terror attacks, he will be considered their leader.”